Jesus said to them, “Cast your net to the right side of the boat and maybe you will find some (fish). When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.” John 21:6
Have young Black professionals at Historically Black Colleges and Universities been working too hard ‘on the wrong side of the boat?’ Have we reached a point where we are casting all of our nets with no avail? For some of us, the short answer can often feel like yes. For the rest of us, typically the upper-side of the Millennial Generation, the answer is found in navigating ‘the system.’
As a 26-year-old Black male, I am aware that I do not have the years of expertise in education as some of my colleagues do. This lack of experience has caused me to cast all of my nets to one side of the boat, often leaving myself in a space of frustration that has led me to feelings of anger, defeat, and hopelessness. While I have mentors in education who have assisted in my transition from K12 to Higher Education, all while finishing my doctorate, the conversation on navigating these spaces were not blatant until I was in the midst of the crises that arise during the first year of professional work.
Higher Education institutions all have their issues, therefore, I do not want to call attention to any particular institution. Instead, I want to address a number of concerns that seem to be prevalent at most, if not all, HBCUs. Though I have not been employed by all of these schools to speak on their issues, I am well connected with many and have gathered stories, anecdotes, and real-life examples of the happenings at other HBCUs.
Institutions with nearly a few thousand enrolled students or less seem to also have staff sizes that are comparable to the size of the student body: small. This can cause staff members to be forced to wear multiple hats to address the resources necessary to combat low student retention, low funding, and high rises in mental health related-issues. Even the family atmosphere that makes HBCUs so welcoming can cause staff and faculty members to be overly accessible to students and can be taxing on the mind and body of staff members. Let us not forget that the young professionals are often the first ones called on to stay late in the evenings to serve as programming advisors for Student Government Association, Homecoming, and SpringFest, often attributed to the fact that most of us are single with no dependents at home.
Earlier this month, I was asked to serve as the emcee for the 2019 Arkansas HBCU Summit, hosted by Congressman French Hill, who serves as the vice chair for the Bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus. Amongst all of the distinguished guests, I met Johnathan Holifield, the executive director of The White House Initiative on HBCUs and author of The Future Economy and Inclusive Competitiveness: How Demographic Trends and Innovation Can Create Economic Prosperity for All Americans.
During his opening speech for the first breakout session of the day, Holifield cited Booker T. Washington’s “Atlanta Compromise” speech, in which he used the phrase, “cast down your buckets where you are.” This speech made reference to the story of a ship lost at sea until it sighted a nearby vessel that could save it. The lost shipmates cried for help, yelling “We die of thirst. Send us water.” The nearby vessel replied, “Cast down your buckets where you are.” Those in distress did not take heed and, instead, continued yelling “We need water.” Then, the captain of the lost vessel took heed to their instructions and lowered the buckets, pulling them back to the ship filled with fresh water from the mouth of the Amazon River. Booker T. Washington used this story to encourage friendly agreements and amicable space between Negroes and White citizens. Holifield used this story to make a plea to philanthropic organizations, business executives, and governmental agencies to save HBCU funding in the state of Arkansas.
